Wednesday Bible Study: Political Science

In my opinion, 1 Samuel 8 is the most interesting chapter in the Bible so far. It requires some exegesis. Remember that we believe King Josiah commissioned the deuteronomic history as a mythic validation of religious orthodoxy and central authority -- specifically his. Ancient states were typically ruled by an alliance between a priestly caste and a warrior king. Israel got there, but we don ' t know exactly how or when - this history is certainly fictitious. But it ' s crafted to support a conclusion.As we have seen, the era of the judges -- of which Samuel is the last -- is a highly repetitious tale. The Israelites are weak, in apostasy, and subordinate to another people. A judge emerges who restores the worship of Yahweh and the military power of the Israelites. They prevail against their conquerors and regain independence and prosperity. But the judge fails to establish an effective successor, and the society once again deteriorates and become prey for a conqueror, until another judge emerges.  Now the people have had enough, and they ask Samuel to establish a kingdom of Israel. Samuel doesn ' t like the idea, so he has a chat with Yahweh, who explains that the problem is that between judges, the people keep rejecting him. So maybe the people are right, this is the way to go. However, the judges have generally been benign rulers. With the notable exception of Samson, they have even been ascetic. A king is another matter: kings are likely to be exploitive and opp...
Source: Stayin' Alive - Category: American Health Source Type: blogs